And it seems even Joshua, the great successor to Moses, felt that deeply.

The story goes that the time was approaching when Joshua would usually get up. Now, imagine Moses, the leader who spoke to God face-to-face, entering Joshua's room to… help him get dressed. Can you picture it?

The text tells us Moses "extended his hand to him," offering him his shirt. Joshua, seeing his master serving him, was understandably mortified. He snatched the shirt, dressed himself while trembling, and then threw himself at Moses' feet, pleading, "O my master, be not the cause wherefore I should die before half my time is done, owing to the sovereignty God has imposed upon me." He feared that this role reversal, this apparent arrogance on his part, would bring divine displeasure and shorten his life.

But Moses, in his profound wisdom, reassured him. "Fear not, my son, thou sinnest not if thou are served by me. With the measure wherewith thou didst mete out to me, do I mete out to thee; as with a pleasant face thou didst serve me, so shall I serve thee." In essence, Moses was saying, "I’m simply returning the kindness and respect you showed me." It’s a beautiful echo of the principle of middah k’neged middah (measure for measure), a core concept in Jewish thought.

Moses continues, reminding Joshua of the very teachings he instilled in him: "It was I that taught thee, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself,' and also, 'Let thy pupil's honor be as dear to thee as thine own.'" Moses was practicing what he preached, honoring his student in a profound and unexpected way.

According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, Moses didn't stop there. He insisted that Joshua sit upon a golden chair – a symbol of authority – and continued to serve him. Joshua, still resisting, was eventually persuaded. And then, in a final act of transference, Moses bestowed upon Joshua "his rays of majesty," a power he himself had received from Zagzagel, the celestial scribe and angel, who taught him the secrets of the Torah.

Think about that image for a moment. Moses, the greatest prophet, serving Joshua, his chosen successor. It's a powerful illustration of humility, mentorship, and the passing of the torch. It shows us that true leadership isn't about power, but about empowering others. What does this story teach us about leadership? About humility? About the responsibility we have to those we mentor? And how can we emulate Moses' example in our own lives?